Rosemount aims for Top 10 position

By Stuart PeskettAustralian brand Rosemount, which has seen sales decline markedly in the past few years, aims to be back in the top 10 wine brands in the UK by this time next year.

Head winemaker Charles Whish visited the UK to unveil the new look for the Foster's-owned brand, which features a new 'Diamond Bottle' and is now 100% bottled under screwcap.

The new line-up has been simplified into six ranges: Flagship; Show Reserve; the two key ranges of Diamond Label and Diamond Cellars; Ryecroft; and Rosemount Road (on-trade). The wines were rolled out simultaneously in the UK and Australia on 1 November, with the rest of Europe to follow in the New Year.

Whish said: 'We had a look at all of our wines and what we could do better. We've lifted the fruit characteristics, and lifted the mid-palate a little. There's a little bit more extended lees contact, too, so quite subtle changes to the winemaking.'

James Craig-Wood, senior communications manager for Foster's, told Harpers that the company realised Rosemount had 'lost its edge' in recent years, but insisted that the brand was now the 'number-one priority' for Foster's, for its wine arm at least.

According to latest statistics, Rosemount only ranks 21 on the lists of top-selling UK brands by value (AC Nielsen MAT to week ending 8 October), and its market share has dropped by half from 1.2% to 0.5% over the past 12 months.

Details on the new marketing campaign for Rosemount are sketchy, but Craig-Wood did reveal that the likely platform for the brand would be 'film', although no sponsorship deals have been signed yet.

He added that it would be 'naive' to think that the brand would not be subject to price promotions by UK retailers, a move that drew criticism when Rosemount was owned by Southcorp.

Whish added that no buyer has yet been found for its Denman winery in the Hunter Valley.